Thursday, January 9, 2014

Catching up

My first post of 2014! The slate has been wiped clean and January brings a fresh start. And, boy, what a start it's been for those of us hit with the effects of the Polar Vortex. Even the name of it sounds like something out of a science fiction novel, doesn't it? Here in Pennsylvania, we've been luckier than many of you... our low only reached -7°F (about -21°C) on Tuesday with a windchill in the -20° range. I'm sure that sounds warm compared to some of you who have been dealing with windchills hovering around -45°! But, it was the coldest weather we've experienced in the western Pennsylvania area in 20 years! I still remember that January back in 1994 because it was so frigid that the schools shut down for a few days and I was at home trying to reign in three rambunctious boys who were then 11, 9, and 5! The good news is that we didn't get hit with the snow that many of you had--in fact we only have about 4 inches on the ground. The even better news is that it is warming up and will reach 50° by the weekend--time to wash our disgusting, salt-covered cars, I'd say. Mine is so bad that I walked right past it in the parking lot the other day because it looked like a drab gray instead of the normally pretty shade of blue!

Thank you all so much for your great comments on my last post--I really did receive some wonderful gifts, didn't I? Today, I'd like to share with you the stitched gifts that I sent to some of my blogging friends for Christmas. I truly wish I could have sent out more presents, but I'm only human. I work part-time and still need to sleep (and indulge in my love of reading!) so my stitching time is limited. I'm going to try sending out more Random Acts of Kindness surprises this year, though, so, hopefully, I'll put a few more smiles on friends' faces...

This cheery Just Nan snowman piece called "Snow Business" went across the state to my dear friend Mary. I used the suggested DMC threads and stitched it on a mystery piece of 32ct. linen. In the inner circle I tacked on a delicate Mill Hill snowflake charm. Rather than finishing this into an ornament, I made one of my little pillows so Mary can perch it on her mantle or next to a wintry display.

Just Nan "Snow Business"

You'll all recognize this next piece as a Prairie Schooler design, I'm sure! This sweet chickadee standing on his birdhouse is from PS Book No. 14 called "Holiday Homestead." I changed the red to DMC 815 and added some black to the chickadee's head and to the opening in the bird house. It is stitched on 35 ct. natural Northern Cross linen. Where did this little birdie fly off to? Why, he ended up in Virginia at my friend Robin's nest... Robin doesn't have a blog, but has sent me photos of her stitching and, believe me, it is gorgeous!

Prairie Schooler Cardinal

My next gift went to long-time blogging friend, Myra, in North Carolina. If you think this looks familiar, you're right! I stitched two of these--one for my December ornament and one for Myra. Both were stitched on black 32 ct. Belfast linen. I added the snowflakes in the background rather than the charted monogrammed initials. You all know what a lover of cardinals Myra is so I thought this would be perfect for her. I have a feeling I'll be stitching this a third time for another gift!

Prairie Schooler Santa With Cardinal

This little sheep made his way to sweet June in England. He is the third and final in a series of ornaments I stitched for June designed by Plum Pudding NeedleArt in the "Candy Cane Wishes" booklet. As with the other two, I stitched this ornament "over one" on 28 ct. natural Jobelan with the suggested DMC threads. You can see the previous finishes from that series by clicking on these links: here is the snowman and here is the gingerbread boy. June loves them all and says she looks forward to hanging the entire set together on her Christmas tree.

Plum Pudding NeedleArt

"Candy Cane Wishes" sheep

Another ornament that traveled across the Atlantic ended up in the Northern Ireland home of my dear friend, Lois. I got so many compliments on this Prairie Schooler snowman (from the 1999 Just Cross Stitch Ornament issue) that I stitched on black 32 ct. Belfast linen (in this post), that I decided to stitch another for Lois. I don't mind stitching the same thing more than once if there is some time in between. In this case, it was over two years between the two so I thoroughly enjoyed it! The ornament is backed with the pretty red snowflake fabric shown in the background and bordered in some of my handmade DMC cording.

Prairie Schooler Snowman

Another of my earliest blogging friends, Cindy, received this next ornament. Cindy moved into a new house this year so I wanted to include a stitched house in the design I chose. And what better designer to find the perfect house images than Little House Needleworks? I turned to "Snow White" and stitched just the bottom portion of the design so it would be small enough for an ornament.This one is stitched on 16 ct. blue Heatherfield and I added a trio of silver bells and pearly white Mill Hill beads in the center of the bow.

Little House Needleworks: "Snow White"

My young friend, Edit, still hasn't received her ornament, but I decided to share it with you anyway. I sent it before Christmas, but it had to travel to Spain so I hope it's not lost. This one is called "A Very Merry Winter" by JBW and I received the same ornament from my friend Lois last year. I loved it so much that I decided to stitch it for Edit. The hanger is a strip of fabric from an old frayed flannel shirt (which is also the backing fabric) and the bottom is adorned with five rusty bells. I love how the stitching on the snowman spells out "Have a Very Merry Winter"--adorable!

JBW: "A Very Merry Winter"

The final ornament was an easy choice! My friend,Shirlee, told me how much she loved my blue and white finish of the skaters and the log cabin (you can see it in this post) so I decided to stitch it for her Christmas gift. The finishing is a little different from my original, but the overall effect is the same.This is stitched "over one" on 28 ct. white evenweave with DMC 3750 and is just the bottom portion of a larger sampler. And, guess what?! I just discovered that Leisure Arts offered the entire sampler as a free download in this post!! Simply scroll down to the Cross Stitching section of that post and click on the words "Winter Sampler." I would print it off right away if you plan to stitch it, though--you just never know how long these things will stay online... I also stitched the top portion of the sampler in red (DMC 304) back in this post in 2012. Love them both! Has anyone stitched the entire sampler? I'll bet it is beautiful!

Leisure Arts "Winter Sampler"

So, that finishes up the last of my 2013 stitching. I knew my stitching count was down last year, but I'm still pleased with all that I managed to accomplish. I stitched 47 smalls (ornaments, pillows, fobs) and of those 28 were given away as gifts or giveaway prizes. I think that fact makes me happiest of all--I love having my little creations spread out around the world! There were only 5 larger (really mid-size!) finishes, but two of them were box finishes--my very first ever. I so look forward to sharing my stitching addiction (and a little bit of my life) with all of you in 2014! Thank you, as always for stopping by and saying "hi!" I'll be back next week. Bye for now...

Hi Carol. Love catching up with your blog and great gifts you received and what you have made. Not sure what happened to my blogging - time!!! Or not having computer close by! Looking forward to a better new year. Wishing you a Happy New Year.

They are all gorgeous works of art Carol ! I can't even pick a favorite they are so wonderful ! We have had that cold and now this weekend it is going to rain ! We have so much snow on the ground there will probably be flooding ! I would rather have more snow.. Just not below zero weather ! Have a great weekend !

Wow Carol, I love your blog so much!!! This is pure stitching HEAVEN!!! :D Your finishes are always so pretty, neat... just perfect!!! Congratulations on all these beautiful finishes & for putting a smile on so many by your generosity. Hugs & xxxxx

Always so inspiring to come by your blog and see what you have done :) Oh my...so many beautiful things to add to my list! It has been cold, cold, cold here and we have 8 inches of snow and our pipes froze...but luckily we go them unthawed before they burst! Whew!I am already bursting with wanting to see what you are going to stitch next! ;) Happy New Year!

Carol, what lovely gifts you made! You are such a talented stitcher and finisher! I am looking forward to seeing what you stitch this year! I am an avid reader too! :-) It does cut into my crafting time! :-) It was so cold! !! We were pretty similar to what you were. My poor husband had to work at 40 feet off the ground for about 8 hours in that nastiness! I can't wait for the 50's this weekend! ! :-)

What wonderful stitchy gifts, truly heirloom treasures. I particularly liked the JBW Snowman. How clever to use a frayed flannel shirt for both the backing and the hanger. I will definitely be stealing that idea. I live in North Central Florida and although it was not near as cold as everywhere else we did go below freezing and have highs in the upper 30s during the day. For us that is downright arctic. Thankfully it didn't last long. It seems like you had a very productive and generous 2013 and I wish you an healthy and happy New Year.

I hear ya my friend! Enough with this frigid weather. It will get to about 15º finally today. We might get above freezing this weekend. That would be great to melt a bit of our 15 inches or so on the ground.You have made such fabulous gifts Carol. They are beautiful. Such care you have put into them. Stay warm!!

What a truly beautiful group of ornaments you have stitched! I love them all. It would be hard to pick a favorite, but maybe the snowman with words for a body will have to go on my list of things to stitch. I will have to take a look at the Leisure Art freebie, as I love that one as well. Happy New Year, friend!

Oh Carol, what a feast for the stitching eyes!! I always LOVE all of your finishes ~ too bad you don't live closer ~ you could teach classes and I'd be the first to sign up!! LOLVERY lucky friends you have to own something made by you!!Thanks for the link to the freebie!

Hubby is fixing a busted water pipe right now as I write this, it got so cold here too!

Hi Carol - such a relief to know that you are not TOO frozen! The weather is shocking, isn't it? - you have all the ice and snow with you, while we are floating around in floods here in the UK!As always , you stitching is beautiful to see, and I love all of it - especially the Mill Hill Snowmen! You amaze me at how much you manage to get done!!I will email you very soon - it was wonderful to hear from you.Take care of yourself - and keep warmWith love and all best wishes,Lynda.

Such sweet little treasures for your friends! I am so happy you shared that link, I already printed my copy off. I have always loved that ornament when you show it and now I have my copy! Enjoy your day!!

You have such a gift for finishing Carol, all of them are so darling. I think "Snow White" is my favourite, so elegant and pretty. I had a total of three ornaments on my tree last year. Maybe this year I'll make it to four!Best wishes.

We've been freezing our tootsies off in my neck of the woods this week. I'm looking forward to the promised warm up this weekend. Lovely finishes my friend. I'm sure you made lots of smiles. It's always a joy to visit with you. Have a good week! Hugs!

As Mary Poppins would say 'practically perfect in every way' and so they all are. I'll be coming looking here for inspiration to enhance my little finishes this year. Your cord is always just perfect, I love my little bunny ornament.Much love x

Glad the Vortex didn't suck y'all under! Our low was 7, breaking a record from the 1800's. Looking for a 60's weekend :-). All your finishes are so sweet, and that number finished is incredible to me! Look forward to seeing what's to come in 2014.

Lots of pretty ornaments! You are so generous. Your finishing skills are amazing! I wish I had more time to stitch but I also try to read too. Are you reading anything good right now? Hope you are staying warm!

Hi CarolYour posts always warm me up and I love to come home from work and catch up on your stitching. I love the Snow White and the Leisure Arts Sampler, blue is one of my favourite colours too. Your stitching and finishes are always beautiful and I can only dream of producing work like yours. Thank you for continuing to share your stitching stories with us all x

Oh Carol, I want to be just like you when I grow up...ha ha...you really inspire me. Thanks for sharing all the wonderful ornaments you have made and received. They are all wonderful, I couldn't pick a favorite.Thanks for telling us what they are, so we can find them!!!If you have time, please check out my blog. http://www.omastitching.blogspot.com

So many pretty ornament gifties Carol! How do you do it?! I only managed three finishes last year. My slowest year yet but I loved being able to see everyone's (yours included) finishes since it makes me feel like I'm still in the midst of stitching without actually doing any. Funny, huh? Hope you are staying warm out there. We've been hearing so much on the news but it's been super warm and pleasant here fro January. Big hugs!

They are all so pretty Carol. You know i adore mine and i treasure each piece you make for me. Thank you for the link for the free pattern. I printed it up. It's amazing you did so many pieces last year. You still did a lot. Each one a work of beauty. Have a safe trip.

Hallo Carol! Love your blog too much! So many beautiful little things! Next year I will try to wear my christmas tree such as you)I like picture in the head of your blog - what is it? Could you write the name of design.Sorry for mistakes, English is not my native language

Such lovely gifts you stitched Carol and I'm so privileged to have one of them!!!! Although it is now packed away until next Christmas it was much admired by anyone who saw it. Good to hear that your weather is to warm up. Hope that snow and ice disappears soon!

Wishing you a very Happy New Year! Such beautiful ornament finishes, the Just Nan 'Snow Business' pillow is just too cute and Prairie Schooler designs always catch my eye :) Thank you for the link to the Leisure Arts chart, it is such a cute piece and that section made a beautiful ornament!

Carol, these gifts are just wonderful. The recipients must have been highly pleased with them.

I was having the same problem when I was still working - so many great things to do in my spare time and then the spare time was always too short. And I have to admit that not much has changed since I have been retired. I want to do so many things during the day and then the day is gone and I have done just half of what I wanted to do.

Thanks for giving us the link to all these freebies on the Leisure Arts site - I did notonly download the beautiful cross stitch sampler but also the instructions for the crocheted snowflakes. To crochet snowflakes for next winter is one of my projects for this year.

I love all of your finished designs and that you share your "addiction" with others - great job! Can you tell me who the designer is for your banner? I would like to add that pattern to my stash. Thanks, and happy stitching. My email is laceystitcher@gmail.com.

Wow! I am sure your recipients were thrilled to be on the receiving end of your adorable ornaments. I absolutely love the Just Nan pillow with the twisted cording; the blue really makes it pop. That's a keeper. Your finishing is always superb with your cute little bows, twisted cording and ruched ribbon. I love seeing them as they inspire me and that makes me happy!

Happy New Year Carol! I always love seeing all of your wonderful stitching,and getting some inspiration from your finishing too :) I adore the Just Nan ornament, I have the pattern so will have to add it to my stitching basket now I've seen how lovely it is stitched. Keep warm and have a great weekend!

I can't even imagine how cold it is there. When we read about the 'polar vortex' my mind automatically went to the movie The Day After Tomorrow. I am already wishing for winter and a very cold one at that, we have had very hot weather since October with summer not even close to finishing.

Wow, your stitching gifts are amazing and the finishing on each and every one impeccable. You have an impressive list of finishes for the year.

Hi dear Carol ,your ornaments are very beautiful ,Santa with cardinal is my favourite :), but I like all them .Thanks for the link, I could download the free Winter Sampler , it's a very sweet design , maybe I'll stitch it for this coming Christmas.I hope the weather is becoming better soon for all of you there in the USA . Here no snow, no cold - the weather is like in spring - not normal at all in January ... poor flowers and trees are confused and began to bloom and bud...

The Polar Vortex! Eeek! I feel terrible for all of those people across the Prairies and East Coast who have no power. I should count myself lucky we are having rain!! Do stay warm and don't go outside without being bundled up!! All of your finishes are so beautiful. Each one has a special Carol touch to it! Thank you for the link for the Leisure Arts design. I think I would love to stitch it in both red and blue...maybe even a nice evergreen. I bet Shirlee was pleased to receive it!! I, like you, enjoy stitching for others. Sending you big hugs from a rainy Vancouver! Anne

I don't deal well with cold... I was born in the end of july, the high summer over here :p when winter gets around 0.C that's too low for me! -20 or -45.C.. I would spend days inside and under a dozen blankets!!!!! Stay warm my friend!!!!

Your finishes are always a delight to watch =) I love everything you stitch, the fabrics you pick, even those little bows that you add so perfectly :D wonderful gifts! Hugs&smiles to you :)

Hi Carol , love all your wonderful Christmas ornaments , we have all been so spoiled by you and how very lucky we all are.Hope you are keeping warm hugs to you my friend and thank you again for my lovely ornament.

hello here in 2014new year new canges- 21 -45????For me that sounds like a science fiction novel.The lowest I know is - 13... for now we did had a real winter so far.. still very warm.They told this week it would get cold and maybe snow.. but still too hot for snow..

I love snow.. I want snow.. please send some..I;m crochting a lot so maybe will start a new blanket then.. lol

Sweet Carol, any gift by you brings a smile on our faces, if it is a sweet card or a sentence on you blog about us.. so please don't think you need to send your AWESOME pieces.. :P

As always you stitched awesome pieces for your friends, and finished them off even more ebautifull.My Favorite is JBW A very Merry Winter..Love that snowmen.. to cute!!Is that grey it's stitched on??Did you stitch on grey often?You like stitching white on grey??I'm looking for a light color to stitch white on..

From teh 47 you give 28 away??Your really the most awesome blogger friends all those bloggers can have.. you gave so much away.. and they are all so awesome!1

I;m very very happy with my gifts from you.. your to sweet my friend!!!

have a great 2014..And I know for sure you will stitch awesome piece this year, more then last year

You have worked so many presents for your friends - I admire anyone who is managing stitching so wonderful pieces for other persons. As I am working in a full-time job I get hardly stitched two or three …

Oh - and thanks a lot for the link to Leisure Arts. I already loved this ornament, when you showed it the first time - but the whole chart (with the top with the sleigh as another possibility for such a wonderful piece) is twice as beautiful ;-)

Polar Vortex...we saw that on TV indeed !Incredible weather where you are !it looks like being in the movie 'the day after tomorrow' !!some years ago we had -26°c here, in fact 8 years, I remember as I was coming out of hospital after my operation on the thyroid...I had almost no hormones and this cold was terrible for me =)stay warmI hope it's going to be better soonall those pieces you are sharing now are so beautifulmy favourite is maybe the one for Edit =)but it's difficult to choose !you finally made many pieces , you who said last year you wouldn't do that amount of smalls =)each time it's a delight here and I'm ready for another sweet year with you =Dbig hugsxxxx

Oh my! Your ornaments are absolutely beautiful. I am so amazed at the quantity that you have stitched for the year. I am sure your friends will be delighted with their gifts too.I can't begin to imagine how -21c would feel like - especially after the last few days of over +45c. Why is the car covered in salt? Do they put it on the roads as they do in England?Keep warmMary

These are all so beautiful! They truly are. I can't even pick out a favorite. Ok, if you FORCED me to pick it would be the sheep one. No, the Winter Sampler one! Damn it, I can't pick. Heh.47 smalls. Oh my goodness. It would take me five years to do that many. (Who am I kidding - it would probably take me TEN years to finish that many. lol)

Wow Carol! You are endlessly amazing with your beautiful stitching and finishing!! Each ornament is so perfectly stitched and finished. I was thrilled that Leisure Arts made that pattern available but when you first stitched it, I went on a search for it and found the magazine (but I still downloaded the free pattern!)47 completed stitched items is amazing with your very busy schedule.The fact that you gave so many away really speaks to how kind and generous you are. Have a great week!Hugs, Wanda

What wonderful gifts you made.I especially like the Snow business piece! Your finishing is always an inspiration! We were the unfortunate ones that got 19" of the white stuff AND the -20 temps, not including wind chill!

Oh the irony...your post is entitled 'Catching Up' and here I am, woefully behind in commenting on the blogs I follow! ;0)You sent out some beautiful ornies Carol. I have decided that this year is the 'Year of the Snowman' for me, so I will definitely be stitching 'Snow Business' by Just Nan. I do love the ornies that you stitch on black linen. I really must treat myself to some black linen this year. I do have some black aida but I no longer like stitching on aida. Great minds must think alike as I too stitched the bottom half of 'Snow White' as an ornie! It looked very similar to yours as I stitched it on dove grey linen. I reluctantly sent it as an exchange just before Christmas so I really must stitch it again for myself!

Welcome!

Welcome ~ I'm so glad you've dropped in for a visit! I love getting to know fellow cross stitchers from around the world, discovering new stitching blogs, and being inspired by your work. I hope you enjoy your visit today and thanks for taking the time to say "hello!"Carol